Being involved in the fine arts isn’t a requirement, but it was a happy coincidence that so many of the 2008 Fine Arts Foundation debutantes are singers, dancers and/or actresses.
Cherry Creek High School graduate Courtney Cahen, for example, says she hopes “to be on Broadway making a living some day soon.” It shouldn’t be an unattainable goal, for she sang in Creek’s elite choral groups, the Meistersingers and Union Street Jazz Choir; appeared in plays and musicals both at her school and in the Denver community; and held membership in the National Thespian Organization. Her online screen name: singitgrl.
Classmate Emily Fisher also has her eye on a career in the arts. After obtaining a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater, she hopes to live in New York and make her mark as an actor, dancer or singer. Emily credits her vocal coach, Natalie Oliver-Atherton, for giving her the encouragement to pursue her dream.
Oliver-Atherton’s “perseverance, talent, values and overall attitude” is inspiring Fisher says. “She never ceases to believe in me and push me to achieve excellence.”Elizabeth Mark’s credits include membership in the Girls’ 21 Choir and Meistersingers, both at Cherry Creek High School; the Younger Generation Players; Center Stage Starz dance academy; and the Colorado All-State Women’s Choir. She, too, would like to land on Broadway.Katie Leonard was president of Cherry Creek High’s Girls’ 21 Choir and has had some of her watercolor paintings published in Fine Arts Magazine, but her future is on a decidedly different track. She plans to major in aeronautical engineering or business, learn several languages, including Chinese and Arabic, and then see where all of that takes her.
Thirty recent high school graduates made their debut at the 2008 Fine Arts Foundation Debutante Ball. It was held at the University of Denver and was chaired by Kathy Brown and Margaret Bell.
Brown and Bell were joined in the receiving line by 2008 Citizen of the Arts Margaret Cunningham; tiara mistresses Ashby Evans Bell and Abigail Lauren Fisher; and receiving line escorts William Alexander Fisher and Mark Andrew Haddad, both juniors at Cherry Creek High School. The husbands of the ball chairs, Benjamin Liebmann Brown and the Rev. Dr. John Henry Bell Jr., also stood in the receiving line, as did Cunningham’s beau, Jim Creamer.
The debutantes were introduced by Brooks Walter Betts, husband of former debutante Stephanie Hinkle Betts. Her mother, Lynn Hinkle, is co-president, with Jean Watt, of the Fine Arts Foundation.
Once the presentation, and the traditional father-daughter waltz, had concluded, the 450 guests repaired to a festively decorated tent to dine on filet mignon and Oreo cheesecake and then dance to the music of New Society.
In addition to the aforementioned debs, the FAF Class of 2008 also included:Catherine Boyle, daughter of Christy and the late John Edward Boyle of Centennial. A graduate of Cherry Creek High, Catherine plans to attend the University of Colorado-Boulder with studies abroad in art. She hopes to become an elementary school teacher.Laura Brown, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Steven Brien Brown of Golden. A graduate of J.K. Mullen High School, where she was a cheerleader, class vice president and Torch Award recipient, Laura works as a program aide at a Girl Scout camp; she also earned a Girl Scout Gold Award.Annie DeShetler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Scott Edwin DeShetler of Highlands Ranch. Annie lettered in theater and lacrosse at Mountain Vista High School, managed the Denver Ballet Guild’s Les Demoiselles program and has traveled to Germany, Austria, France and Spain.Andrea Fitch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Raymond Fitch of Castle Rock. At Mullen High School, Andrea was a class president in 2005-06, served as the student council’s spirit officer and was on varsity poms. She also helped stage the Mullen Senior Citizen Prom and volunteered at Littleton Hospital.Nicole Harvey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc Allen Harvey of Cherry Hills Village. A member of her high school’s tennis team and National Honor Society, Nicole plans to study journalism in college and remain active in snowboarding, tennis and art.Adelaide Hester, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Lumar Hester III of Denver. A graduate of Kent Denver School, Adelaide is a champion competitive sailor and skier. Sailing, skiing and and travel are her favorite activities.Katherine Jolliffe, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Cumings Jolliffe of Greenwood Village. Kate was a member of Creek’s tennis team and was a national qualifier in DECA. She also made National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society and was an elite dancer.Margaret Keller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Burnett Keller of Greenwood Village. A graduate of Cherry Creek High School, Maggie plans to major in early childhood education at CU-Boulder and become a kindergarten teacher.Anne Lake, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Braun Lake of Highlands Ranch. She played varsity lacrosse for Highlands Ranch High School in 2007 and has participated in Les Cygnettes and the Denver Symphony Debs. She’ll major in journalism and mass communications at CU-Boulder.Jessica Lehigh, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Stephen Lehigh of Centennial. At Kent Denver School, from which she graduated cum laude, Jessica was a peer tutor and member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams. She also won awards in Latin and chemistry and received a letter of commendation in the National Merit Scholarship program.Alexandra Levenson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Ian Robert Levenson of Cherry Hills Village. A member of Cherry Creek High School’s speech and debate team, Ali enjoys figure skating, cooking, snowboarding, traveling and dancing. She has volunteered as a coach for Special Olympics.Alyssa McDaniel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Michael McDaniel of Cherry Hills Village. Alyssa was cited for excellence in geometry and chemistry at St. Mary’s Academy, where she was president of Amnesty International, captain of the varsity volleyball team and student council secretary.Brittany McMorris and Lindsey McMorris, twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Dean McMorris of Cherry Hills Village. They’re graduates of Mullen High, where both were award-winning lacrosse players, making the All-Centennial League second team and the National Tournament Team in 2007, when it played in Lehigh, PA. Lindsey hopes to become an interior designer while her sister aspires to a career in TV sports broadcasting.Tanya Nathan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Nathan of Englewood. Tanya is a past president of Cherry Creek High School’s Girls’ 21 Choir and of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, on whose regional board she also served. She spent six weeks in Poland and Israel, and plans to major in international affairs at the University of Denver, using her education to benefit the less fortunate in Third World countries.Emily Pasternak, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Randall Pasternak of Centennial. The Cherry Creek High graduate helped organize three blood drives for The Children’s Hospital and went on a mission trip to Kenya in the summer of 2006 to work with AIDS orphans. She’s toying with the idea of becoming a psychologist.Alexandra Pavek, daughter of Erin O’Brien and Mr. and Mrs. David Donder Pavek of Denver. Alix was student body president at St. Mary’s Academy this year and also served as president of the Outreach Club, played varsity basketball and received an award for outstanding achievement in community service for her trip to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans with SMA and Catholic Charities.Katherine Porter, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Steven Porter of Golden. A graduate of Mullen High School, where she received the Drama, Torch and Spirit awards, Katie was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and participated in the Knowledge Bowl. SCUBA diving, painting, wakeboarding and writing are among her passions; a career in international affairs is her goal.Jordan Poyfair, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Darwin J. Poyfair of Denver. A mogul and extreme skier, Jordan is ranked No. 8 in the U.S. in moguls for women of all ages. She is a two-time Junior Olympic Freestyle national champion and her immediate goal is to make the US Ski Team. At Kent Denver School, she was captain and most valuable player of the varsity volleyball team.Melanie Reiff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Michael Reiff of Englewood. Singing and playing piano are her passions; teaching music education at the high school or college level is her goal. Melanie sang in the Girls’ 21 Choir at Cherry Creek High School, where she lettered in dance and academics.Kristina Rogers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Brad Rogers of Highlands Ranch. Kristina played varsity volleyball all four years at Highlands Ranch High School and made the all-state team in 2007. She also was a member of the school’s homecoming royalty and aspires to become an anchor on “Good Morning America.”Caitlain Schnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jay John Schnell of Greenwood Village. A graduate of Cherry Creek High School, where she was on the varsity tennis team, Caitlain hopes to continue as a competitive tennis player in college. She has volunteered at the Junior League’s Second Time Shop and aspires to a career in fashion.Margaret Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Matthew Smith of Lone Tree. A graduate of Regis Jesuit High School, Margaret spent two weeks volunteering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; she also volunteered at Praying Hands Ranch and Rocky Mountain Head Start here in Colorado. She’ll attend CU-Boulder and hopes to become a kindergarten or first grade teacher.Kathlen Spring, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lee Spring of Centennial. Kate graduated from Arapahoe High School, where she was Key Club vice president and was on the varsity cross-country, lacrosse and field hockey teams. She also played on the Rocky Mountain Regional Women’s Lacrosse National Team and was a basketball helper for Special Olympics Colorado. She plans to study restaurant and resort management at Colorado State University.Andrea Voth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ned Chris Voth of Littleton. At Mullen High School, Andrea played varsity lacrosse and was on the honor roll. She plans to major in journalism or marketing in college and to have a career in the fashion industry.Cassandra Wells, daughter of Gayle Wells of Denver. At Cherry Creek High School, Cassie sang with Meistersingers and the Union Street Jazz Choir, played varsity tennis and received academic honors at graduation. She plans to major in political science in college and then attend law school.

Pictures taken at the Fine Arts Foundation Debutante Ball can be viewed by visiting denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.